I once chased a peacock around a zoo for 10 minutes so it would show me its feathers; only after somebody pointed out to me that I was chasing a peahen did I give up my quest. How can one be so easily confused, given that peahens are brown? Well, I was 5. So there you have it.
This peacock is much more willing to showcase its feathers.
I sculpted a small peacock out of fondant and accented his head feathers using flower stamens; they are the only component of the cake (including the structural support to prevent the peacock from sinking into the cake - made with gumpaste!) that isn't 100% edible.
Then came the real fun - getting to make each indiviudal feather piece that comprises a peacock's plumage. Here I flattened different colours of fondant, accented with gold lustre paint and arranged into the signature showpiece that is the peacock's derriere.
While delicious to the point I could maintain it as a staple of my diet, cake isn't exactly known for being healthy. The birthday girl leads a healthy lifestyle, so this cake marks my first departure from classic recipes towards those that are more health-conscious. For this cake I included whole grain (germ too!) flour, olive oil, organic cane sugar and egg whites, either wholly in place of or in combination with the enriched flour, butter, bleached beet sugar and whole eggs that typically constitute a cake. Still tasty, and without the added trans fat and diabetic coma.
Happy birthday, Kelly!
-Danielle
